Vest Hulse, Wanda [Army] - Lyndhurst, VA

Wanda Vest Hulse: "Just Because I Did a Drafting Class" | Army VeteranShe joined the Army because she scored high in mechanical and hated school. A recruiter pointed her toward Illustrator — MOS 81 Echo — and what followed is the single most fun military career we have ever recorded on this show.In this episode, Wanda shares the full arc — from a high school drafting class at Valley Career and Technical Center, to drawing Cold War war plans by hand with top secret clearance in the Netherlands, to pitching on an all-male Army softball team called the Beef Blood Brothers Plus One, to driving the General's Mercedes across Germany during Reforger exercises. Every door opened into something better. And when the military was done, all of it funneled into what she does now: teaching ninth graders how to build, break, and create in her technology and engineering classes at Waynesboro High School.KEY MOMENTS:- MOS 81 Echo: Army Illustrator — "The recruiter said it was close enough to engineering"- Holdover barracks in basic training — "They did my duty for me. I just showed up to formation."- Top secret clearance and Site R at Fort Ritchie, Maryland- Drawing Cold War contingency war plans by hand in the Netherlands- Pitching on the all-male softball team: the Beef Blood Brothers Plus One- Being the first Black person some Germans in a rural village had ever met- The engineering career, the four-year degree, and arguing with engineers who underestimated her- Landing the teaching job at Waynesboro High School — "They called me over a name and address"ABOUT OUR GUEST:Wanda Diane Vest Hulse served in the United States Army in the 1980s as an Illustrator (MOS 81 Echo), later reclassified as Graphic Documentation Specialist. She completed basic training at Fort Jackson, trained at Lowry Air Force Base, and was stationed at Fort Ritchie, Maryland (where she held top secret clearance and worked with Site R) and in Maastricht, the Netherlands, where she served with the Allied Reserve Corps of Four. She participated in Reforger 87 exercises across Germany. After service, Wanda earned an associate degree from Blue Ridge Community College and a bachelor's in Mechanical Engineering Design and Technology from Old Dominion University. She currently teaches technology and engineering at Waynesboro High School, where she is beloved by students and colleagues alike.WATCH THE FULL VIDEO:YouTube: https://youtu.be/uh6hob5Jh2ICONNECT & SUPPORT:Website: https://saluteofvirginia.org/Donate to SALUTE of Virginia: https://subsplash.com/u/-5QRKRR/giveFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/share/167A3VpMJu/Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/saluteofva/Nominate a veteran to be interviewed: [email protected] this episode moved you, please leave a rating and review — it helps other listeners find these stories.CREDITS:Hosted by John Fairbanks and Zach HaleA production of SALUTE of Virginia (501(c)(3))